folder he was holding. “Filed under
‘other.’”
“Yeah,” I clarified, “we don’t have a lot of dragon clients.”
Will raised his eyebrows. “A dragon? You don’t say.” He studied the stack of pages that flopped out of her folder. “According to this, the bird was punctual. Never missed an appointment.”
“Until last week.” I nodded solemnly. “And now we know why.”
Kale inched closer to Vlad. Her hands circled his bicep in a move that was part predatory, part fearful.
“Kale, you hadn’t heard anything from her?” I asked. “Before this? Or maybe from the kids or husband?”
Kale’s oblivious expression remained unchanged at my question.
“Do you ever get the feeling you’re being watched?” Vlad asked, looking up from the doodle on his place mat.
Will snorted and turned over his coffee mug as the waitress flitted by. “You are being watched, gov.”
Crimson washed over Kale’s cheeks and she lowered her eyes, focusing intently on peel-ing a stripe of silver nail polish from her thumb.
“I don’t mean from in here,” Vlad said. “From out there.” He inclined his dark head toward the big picture window as the fog thickened outside. “I’ve felt it since we went outside. Don’t you feel it?”
“Don’t you have super vampire sense or something?” Will asked.
“Don’t you have a fire to put out?”
“Touché.”
Vlad looked out the window again, and my eyes went to where he was looking. I watched cars speed through the intersection and the same group of businesspeople on their lunch break that I usually did, but gooseflesh now pricked out over my arms. I glanced over my shoulder. Though it was noon, the sky was streaked an ominous gray; the sun was choked out by ribbons of fog. People bustled by outside, looking straightforward, avoiding each other’s gazes; the stores went about their business, with neon signs flashing, doors opening and closing.
Vlad gestured with his chin at my bare arms. “You feel it, too, huh?”
“I do now,” I said, with a shudder.
Will picked up the next file and caught my eye. “Shall we?”
Vlad cleared his throat and sat bolt upright; his fingers were laced and sitting in front of him. He looked startlingly Dixonesque.
“So,” Vlad said, “the Vampire Empowerment and Restoration Movement is concerned that whatever is happening to these demons could soon be happening to our brethren. If it hasn’t already happened.”
“Me too,” Kale piped in. “Except about witches, too.”
“Ten minutes ago you didn’t believe anything was wrong with anyone.”
Kale swallowed hard. “That’s before we knew that anyone was dead.”
Kale’s plain statement struck ice at the base of my spine. “We don’t even know what we’re dealing with.”
Vlad looked hard at me. “If we’re dealing with anything at all.” He shrugged while I gaped.
“If Dixon had the Investigations team out, and didn’t say anything to the staff, then maybe they didn’t find anything.”
I opened my mouth to interject, but Vlad held up a silencing hand. “We live in a big city, in a weak economic climate. Mrs. Henderson could have walked in on a burglary.”
Will looked impressed. “She’s a dragon, right? That’s one ballsy burglar.”
“Weren’t you just very concerned about how this might affect your ascot-wearing buddies?”
Vlad shrugged, picked up the next file and flipped through the pages casually. “From her description, it looks like Bettina was mugged.”
“Would a mugger say he was out to eradicate her kind?” I asked, crossing my arms in front of my chest.
“People do all sorts of crazy things for all sorts of crazy reasons, Sophie.” Vlad grinned, fangs glowing white. “This is San Francisco. Last week Santa Claus was being walked by a dominatrix through the Mission. It wasn’t even Christmas.”
Will blanched and I knocked on the table. “Can we focus, please? We have a series of strange happenings that may or
‘other.’”
“Yeah,” I clarified, “we don’t have a lot of dragon clients.”
Will raised his eyebrows. “A dragon? You don’t say.” He studied the stack of pages that flopped out of her folder. “According to this, the bird was punctual. Never missed an appointment.”
“Until last week.” I nodded solemnly. “And now we know why.”
Kale inched closer to Vlad. Her hands circled his bicep in a move that was part predatory, part fearful.
“Kale, you hadn’t heard anything from her?” I asked. “Before this? Or maybe from the kids or husband?”
Kale’s oblivious expression remained unchanged at my question.
“Do you ever get the feeling you’re being watched?” Vlad asked, looking up from the doodle on his place mat.
Will snorted and turned over his coffee mug as the waitress flitted by. “You are being watched, gov.”
Crimson washed over Kale’s cheeks and she lowered her eyes, focusing intently on peel-ing a stripe of silver nail polish from her thumb.
“I don’t mean from in here,” Vlad said. “From out there.” He inclined his dark head toward the big picture window as the fog thickened outside. “I’ve felt it since we went outside. Don’t you feel it?”
“Don’t you have super vampire sense or something?” Will asked.
“Don’t you have a fire to put out?”
“Touché.”
Vlad looked out the window again, and my eyes went to where he was looking. I watched cars speed through the intersection and the same group of businesspeople on their lunch break that I usually did, but gooseflesh now pricked out over my arms. I glanced over my shoulder. Though it was noon, the sky was streaked an ominous gray; the sun was choked out by ribbons of fog. People bustled by outside, looking straightforward, avoiding each other’s gazes; the stores went about their business, with neon signs flashing, doors opening and closing.
Vlad gestured with his chin at my bare arms. “You feel it, too, huh?”
“I do now,” I said, with a shudder.
Will picked up the next file and caught my eye. “Shall we?”
Vlad cleared his throat and sat bolt upright; his fingers were laced and sitting in front of him. He looked startlingly Dixonesque.
“So,” Vlad said, “the Vampire Empowerment and Restoration Movement is concerned that whatever is happening to these demons could soon be happening to our brethren. If it hasn’t already happened.”
“Me too,” Kale piped in. “Except about witches, too.”
“Ten minutes ago you didn’t believe anything was wrong with anyone.”
Kale swallowed hard. “That’s before we knew that anyone was dead.”
Kale’s plain statement struck ice at the base of my spine. “We don’t even know what we’re dealing with.”
Vlad looked hard at me. “If we’re dealing with anything at all.” He shrugged while I gaped.
“If Dixon had the Investigations team out, and didn’t say anything to the staff, then maybe they didn’t find anything.”
I opened my mouth to interject, but Vlad held up a silencing hand. “We live in a big city, in a weak economic climate. Mrs. Henderson could have walked in on a burglary.”
Will looked impressed. “She’s a dragon, right? That’s one ballsy burglar.”
“Weren’t you just very concerned about how this might affect your ascot-wearing buddies?”
Vlad shrugged, picked up the next file and flipped through the pages casually. “From her description, it looks like Bettina was mugged.”
“Would a mugger say he was out to eradicate her kind?” I asked, crossing my arms in front of my chest.
“People do all sorts of crazy things for all sorts of crazy reasons, Sophie.” Vlad grinned, fangs glowing white. “This is San Francisco. Last week Santa Claus was being walked by a dominatrix through the Mission. It wasn’t even Christmas.”
Will blanched and I knocked on the table. “Can we focus, please? We have a series of strange happenings that may or
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